DOES EXCESSIVE ADENOSINE 5'-TRIPHOSPHATE FORMATION IN CELLS LEAD TO MALIGNANCY - A HYPOTHESIS ON CANCER

In biological systems, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the principal c ontributor of free energy necessary for anabolic reactions and is also a precursor of nucleic acids. Moreover, active transport of metabolit es into cells is also driven by hydrolysis of ATP. So, a cell may grow , multiply and ultimately turn malignant when it has been transformed in such a manner that it produces excess ATP as compared with its usua l metabolic demand. Recent studies have indicated that mitochondrial c omplex I and the glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrog enase (GA(3)PD) may be critically altered specifically in malignant ce lls. So, we further propose that this excessive ATP formation may be d ue to altered mitochondrial complex I and GA(3)PD of malignant cells.